The present invention pertains to an applicator device and methods of using of such devices, for applying a product. In particular, the present invention is directed toward an applicator device for the application of a product, such as a cosmetic product for example, to the eyelashes or eyebrows.
The applicator could be combined with a container for containing the product to be applied. In one embodiment, the container includes a wiper, such as a wringing-out member.
The applicator of the present invention preferably includes a stem (i.e., a wand), with at least one row of a succession of consecutive teeth disposed on one end of the stem. The teeth can be produced by molding plastic. Each tooth in the succession of consecutive teeth comprises a root and a portion extending from the root. The roots of the succession of consecutive teeth are substantially aligned and the portions extending from the roots of the succession of teeth are offset alternately on each side of a geometric separation surface. That is, the extending portion of one tooth is on one side of the geometric separation surface and the extending portion of the next consecutive tooth is on a second side of the geometric separation surface opposite the first side. The applicator can become laden with product between the teeth when the applicator is extracted from the container, and, if present, through the wiper.
The expression xe2x80x9csubstantially alignedxe2x80x9d as used throughout the specification and claims should be understood to mean that one portion of each of the roots of consecutive teeth is disposed on a first side of a line passing through the roots of the consecutive teeth, and another portion of each of the roots of consecutive teeth is disposed on a second side of the line opposite to the first side, wherein the line is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the base portion on which the teeth are disposed. An example of an embodiment with such xe2x80x9csubstantially alignedxe2x80x9d roots includes consecutive teeth disposed such that a straight line passes through the centers of each of the roots of the consecutive teeth. However, other embodiments also are contemplated by the present invention, some of which are shown in the appended figures and will be discussed further in the following description of the invention.
The applicator according to the invention is one wherein the row of teeth includes a succession of consecutive teeth with substantially aligned roots and portions extending from the roots of consecutive teeth alternately disposed on opposite sides of a geometric separation surface.
Substantially aligning the roots of the teeth and alternately disposing portions extending from the roots of consecutive teeth achieves advantages.
For example by modifying the geometry of the teeth and the tooth spacing it is possible to form cavities between the teeth, the size of which can be selected according to the tooth geometry and spacing. These cavities can be filled with product so that greater amounts of product can be loaded onto the application element and thereafter applied.
Moreover, it may be possible to produce an application element capable of becoming laden with a significant amount of product, without thereby reducing the ability of the application element to grip the eyelashes during application of the product.
The teeth may be closely spaced at their roots so that the eyelashes can be gripped effectively between two consecutive teeth. At the same time, widening the spacing between the free ends of consecutive teeth may permit the formation of reservoirs of product on the application element.
The geometric configuration of the teeth also allows small fibers that may be included in the product to become aligned so as to be substantially parallel with each other as the product is applied, or as the teeth are passed through a wiper, or both. This alignment occurs as a result of a bottleneck type of effect that is produced between two consecutive teeth.
The spacing between the roots of two consecutive teeth preferably may be less than or equal to approximately 0.4 mm.
In a preferred embodiment, the geometric separation surface passes through the centers of the roots of the consecutive teeth.
The application element preferably also includes a base portion. The teeth and base portion may be produced by plastic molding, preferably as a single piece construction.
The base portion may be fixed to a stem, for example a wand, of the applicator and the axis of the base portion may be either parallel or at an angle to the axis of the applicator wand or stem.
The geometric separation surface may be a plane, preferably a plane of symmetry of the base portion.
Preferably, the geometric separation surface is a parting line for molding the teeth, or the application element. The geometric separation surface also may be non-planar, for example, twisted, such as a helical surface, or curved.
The height of the roots of the teeth may be greater than or equal to approximately 0.2 mm.
The applicator stem may be flat, substantially cylindrical, or have a number of other configurations depending on the desired application effects and ergonomics. Moreover, at a distal end portion, the stem may include a connector with which the base portion may be removably engageable. In a preferred embodiment, the connector includes a housing or enclosure defining a slot configured to receive the base portion. The housing may also have a longitudinal axis that is either parallel or at an angle to the axis of the stem, for example the longitudinal axis of the housing may be substantially perpendicular to longitudinal axis of the stem. The slot is configured to receive the base portion, and in one embodiment may engage with the roots of the teeth.
The base portion also may be produced by molding plastic as a single piece with the applicator wand or stem.
The application element may be produced by molding plastic as a single piece with the applicator stem and with a sealing member configured to seal the container closed when it is not in use. The sealing member may have a surface shaped to fit in a sealed manner into the neck of the container. Preferably, a cap is disposed at an end of the applicator opposite to an end on which the teeth are disposed, the cap being configured to close the container. The cap also can be provided with the sealing member to sealably close the container.
When the application element is observed along its axis, at least two consecutive teeth may have free ends which diverge away from, converge toward, cross or are substantially parallel to each other. Also, when the application element is observed along its axis, one tooth of at least two consecutive teeth may have a free end diverging away from the free end of the other tooth of the at least two consecutive teeth, while the other tooth may have a free end that is substantially straight.
When the application element is observed along its axis, at least two consecutive teeth may have free ends which are substantially aligned, and preferably three consecutive teeth have substantially aligned free ends.
The application element may include teeth which have free ends directed toward a distal end of the applicator alternating with teeth which have free ends directed toward a proximal end of the applicator.
The teeth may form between them a housing or enclosure having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the applicator. The housing or enclosure can be configured to accommodate an internal application element, such as a brush of the twisted wire type, for example.
The applicator may have just one row of teeth, essentially forming a comb. Alternatively, the applicator may have more than one row of teeth disposed at differing angular positions around the applicator, essentially forming a brush. For example, the applicator may include one row of teeth disposed on a substantially opposite side of the applicator as another row of teeth.
The applicator may also include, for example, a base having either a polygonal or non-polygonal cross section. At least one row of teeth preferably extends essentially in the continuation of a side of the base portion when the base has a polygonal shape. When the base portion has a non-polygonal shape, such as a circular or elliptical shape, the roots of the row of teeth connect to the base portion essentially at a tangent. An applicator having these configurations may permit the base portion to apply the product to the eyelashes, and cause a more gradual contact between the eyelashes and the teeth. An applicator having this structure also may promote the curling of the eyelashes.
The applicator may include a stem and an application element on which the teeth are disposed. The application element can be disposed on a distal end portion of the stem. The application element may be made more flexible than the stem. For example, the application element may be made of a plastic having greater flexibility than a plastic used to make the stem. Thus, greater comfort may be obtained when using the applicator.
As an alternative, the stem may be made of a plastic which is more flexible than the material used to make the application element. It is thus possible, for manufacturing reasons, to use a relatively inflexible material to make the application element and to compensate for the inflexibility of the application element at the time of application, using the flexibility of the wand or stem. Similarly, the teeth may be made of a different material than the base portion.
The height of the teeth may vary. As a preference, the height of the teeth ranges from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 15 mm. More preferably, the height of the teeth ranges from approximately 7 mm to 13 mm.
Another aspect of the invention includes an applicator for applying a product to the eyelashes comprising a stem and a base portion disposed at one end of the stem. The applicator further includes at least one row of teeth including roots disposed on the base portion and portions extending from the roots. The roots of consecutive teeth are substantially aligned and the portions extending from the roots of consecutive teeth are disposed on opposite sides of a geometric separation surface.
The width of the base portion preferably is greater than the width of the roots.
A second row of teeth also may be disposed on the base portion. The second row of teeth may be disposed such that the rows face in substantially opposite directions.
The portions extending from the roots of two consecutive teeth may diverge away from each other. These diverging portions may be near the roots of the teeth.
The teeth may have different lengths and the roots of the teeth may either be in contact with or spaced from one another. The teeth may be disposed on the base portion asymmetrically with respect to a line along which the roots are aligned.
The base portion includes two opposite ends, one of which may be connected to a distal end portion of the stem. Alternatively, the base portion may be connected to a distal end portion of the stem along a part of the base portion located between the opposite ends.
At least one of the teeth may include a hollow portion extending along the length of the tooth. Preferably, at least one side of the tooth has an opening leading to the hollow portion.
As mentioned, the applicator may be part of a system including a container. The container may have a wiper. Preferably, the wiper is deformable, and may include a block of open-cell foam or an elastomeric lip, or other similar suitable configurations.
Another aspect of the invention includes an applicator comprising a stem and a base portion at one end of the stem. At least one row of teeth including roots is disposed on the base portion and the roots of consecutive teeth in the at least one row are substantially aligned along a plane passing through the roots of the consecutive teeth, the consecutive teeth including portions extending from their roots being alternately offset on either side of the plane of alignment.
According to another aspect of the invention an applicator as described in the preceding paragraphs is included with a container configured to contain the product. The applicator and container comprise an applicator system. Preferably, a cosmetic product, such as mascara for example, is contained in the container. The container may include an opening configured to permit passage of at least a part of the base portion of the applicator into the container. The system also may include a cap disposed on an end of the stem opposite to the end of the stem at which the teeth are disposed. The cap may be configured to sealably close the opening of the container.
The invention also includes a method of applying a product to the eyelashes using an applicator or system as described in the preceding paragraphs. The method includes loading a product on at least some of the teeth and placing at least some of the teeth in contact with the eyelashes such that the product coats the eyelashes. The loading may include inserting the applicator or a portion thereof into a container containing the product and removing the applicator from the container and wiping the excess product from the teeth. The loading alternatively may include either dispensing the product from the container onto the teeth or contacting the teeth with a solid cake of product. The solid cake of product preferably may be moistened and the teeth contacted with the moistened cake of product. In the latter form of loading, the moistening step may include either moistening the teeth and then contacting the teeth with the product or moistening the product directly.
The method further comprises gripping the eyelashes between consecutive teeth.
Preferably, the product being applied is mascara. If the mascara includes fibers, the method further includes orienting the fibers with the teeth such that the fibers are substantially parallel to the eyelashes as the product is applied.
When the applicator includes a base portion on which the teeth are disposed and a stem, and the base portion is removably connectable to the stem; the method also may include connecting the base portion of the applicator to the stem. This allows an applicator to include interchangeable base portions having differing teeth configurations disposed thereon. Thus, the user can select various teeth configurations for the applicator as desired to achieve different application effects.
The applicator of the invention, as described above, may be used for applying a cosmetic product, preferably mascara, to the eyelashes. However, other products can be applied to other surfaces and would be obvious to those skilled in the art. In addition, the applicator according to the present invention could also be used to comb the eyelashes or eyebrows, for example.
Aside from the structural and procedural arrangements set forth above, the invention could include a number of other arrangements, such as those explained hereinafter. It is to be understood that both the foregoing description and the following description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.